LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 

SAN  DIEGO 


IHt  UrtlVtMlY  LIBKARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SAN  DIEGO 

LA  JOLLA.  CALIFORNIA 


GOOD-NIGHT 


GOOD-NIGHT 

(BUENAS  NOGHES) 


BY 

ELEANOR  GATES 


NEW  YORK 

THOMAS  Y.  CROWELL  &  Co. 
PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1906, 
BY  CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  Sons 

Copyright,  1907, 
BY  THOMAS  Y.  CROWELL  &  Co. 


THI  CMrVEHSITY  PKESS,  CAITBHIDQK,  U.  3.  A. 


To  MABEL 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

"  Good-day   to    thyself,"    retorted  the  padre 

Frontispiece 

He  carried  a  canary  at  his  shoulder  .     .     .     .  16 

Advancing  by  soft  steps  came  Tomasso  the  cat  38 

Fanning  her  wings  in  one  lightning  stroke     .  44 

Another  frown  and  he  passed  on      .     .     .     .  5o 


GOOD-NIGHT 


I 

oCARLET  fuchsias  on  a  sway- 
ing branch  freckled  the  'dobe  wall 
behind  Loretta's  perch.  The  par- 
rot, her  claws  wide  apart,  her  bril- 
liant rudder  tilting  to  balance  her 
gray  body,  industriously  snapped 
at  the  blossoms.  One  secured 
at  last,  she  turned  slowly  about 
and,  with  infinite  care,  let  it  drop 
upon  the  open  pages  of  Padre 
Alonzo's  book. 

The  padre  brushed  the  flower 
away  and  glanced  up. 

"  Buenos  dtas,  senor!"  clacked 
Loretta  ;  ' '  buenos  dias  I  baenos  dias  I 
buenos  dias !  " 


GOOD-NIGHT 


"  Good-day  to  thyself,"  retorted 
the  padre.  He  spoke  in  Spanish, 
shaking^a  stout  finger.  "And  tear 
not  the  flowers  again.  They  be  the 
last  of  the  kind  till  after  the  New 
Year.  So  take  warning,  I  say,  lest 
thou  find  thyself  thrust  without  the 
garden." 

Loretta  recognized  displeasure  in 
his  voice.  She  mumbled  an  in- 
quiring "  Ga-a-wk  !  ga-a-wk  I  "  and 
shifted  thoughtfully  from  foot  to 
foot.  But,  presently,  the  padre 
having  resumed  his  reading,  she 
turned  once  more  to  catch  at  the 
swaying  branch. 

When  a  second  fuchsia  came 
fluttering  down  to  his  hand,  Padre 
Alonzo  uncrossed  his  sandals  and 
rose.  "Oh!  oh!  oh!"  he  cried, 
wagging  his  close-cropped  head  so 


GOO  D-N  I  G  H  T 


vigorously  that  the  very  beads  of 
his  rosary  tinkled  together.  *  '  Thou 
art  the  naughtiest  bird  ii^,  all  of 
California  !  What  if  Padre  Anzar 
finds  thee  despoiling  his  plant  ? 
He  will  put  thee  again  where  thou 
must  fight  to  keep  thy  feathers  — 
in  the  kitchen  with  the  cats  !  " 

At  the  mention  of  cats  a  startling 
change  came  over  the  parrot.  Her 
plumage  ruffled,  her  eyes  began  to 
roll,  she  straightened  on  the  perch, 
uttering  hoarse  cries  of  fear  and 
defiance. 

"  Then  be  good,"  he  counselled. 
"be  good.  Or  off  thou  'It  likely 
go.  Me-e-ow  !  me-e-ow  1  " 

And  now  Loretta  moved  nearer, 
anxious  for  friendly  terms  .  '  '  Dame 
la  mano,"  she  suggested;  "  a-a-aw, 
dame  la  mano!  A-a-aw!  a-a-aw!" 


GOOD-NIGHT 


She  balanced  tremblingly  on  one 
leg,  curling  the  other  under  her. 

Padre  Alonzo  put  the  stout  finger 
into  the  proffered  claw.  "  So,  so," 
he  said.  "And  I  shall  not  tattle. 
But  tell  me  :  What  would  make 
thee  forget  to  use  thy  sharp  pruning 
shears  ?  An  apple  ?  or  seeds  ?  or 
one  of  Gabrielda's  sweet  bis  —  " 

Loretta  perked  her  head  to  one 
side.  "  To-o-ny,  To-o-ny,  To-o-ny," 
she  droned  coaxingly. 

The  padre  thrust  his  thumbs 
under  the  white  cord  of  his  girdle 
and  broke  into  a  guffaw.  "  Thou 
jade  I"  he  teased.  "Wilt  have 
Tony,  eh?  Well,  I  go  to  find 
him."  He  gathered  in  his  brown 
cassock,  preparatory  to  stepping 
over  the  cacti  here  bordering  the 
garden  path.  '  '  But  look  you,  if 

fi4] 


GOOD-NIGHT 


he  comes,  scrape  not  the  gilt  from 
the  wires  of  his  pretty  cage." 

Another  threatening  shake  of  the 
finger,  and  the  padre  crossed  the 
low,  spiked  hedge  and  waddled 
away  through  the  sun. 

When  he  came  into  sight  a  mo- 
ment later  round  the  dun  wall  of 
the  mission,  he  carried  a  canary  at 
his  shoulder.  "  E-oo,  e-oo,"  he 
cooed,  pattering  forward.  *'  Lo- 
retta  wishes  thy  company.  Sst! 
sst  I  She  is  bad  after  thee,  Tony  ! 
But  be  wary,  little  one,  be  wary." 

The  advice  was  wholly  ignored. 
For,  spying  the  parrot,  Tony  was 
instantly  transformed  from  a  silent, 
dumpy  ball  of  yellow  to  a  slim,  dap- 
per songster  with  a'  swelling  throat. 

Loretta  greeted  him  with  uproari- 
ous laughter,  and  a  jargon  of  Span- 


GOOD-NIGHT 


ish,  patois,  but  triumphant.  She 
paced  the  horizontal  piece  that  gave 
her  perch  the  form  of  a  cross.  She 
pu-r-red  and  ga-r-red.  She  swung 
by  her  curved  beak  and  one  leath- 
ery foot,  shrilling  her  '  '  Buenos 
dias,  senor  !"  Then,  as  the  padre 
hung  the  cage  to  a  nail  in  the  trellis 
built  against  the  wall,  she  changed 
her  performance  to  the  clamorous 
repeating  of  a  mass. 

Padre  Alonzo  was  shocked. 
"Sst!  sst!"  he  chided;  "  thou 
wicked  big-ears  !  " 

The  noon  angelus  was  ringing. 
He  caught  up  book  and  gown. 
But  before  going  he  pulled  at  Lo- 
retta's  gaudy  tail,  not  unkindly,  and 
chuckled  as  she  edged  toward  Tony 
with  many  a  naive  and  fetching 
cock  of  her  gray  head. 
[16] 


•      3 


II 


II 

rilGH  at  the  garden's  centre, 
nailed  to  a  massive  tree  of  wood, 
stood  out  the  Sacrifice.  From  be- 
hind, fir  and  pine  thrust  their  long 
green  boughs,  as  if  eager  to  screen 
that  torn  and  unclad  shape.  From 
below,  jasmine  and  geranium,  car- 
nation and  rose,  sent  upward  an 
unfailing  incense. 

That  way,  in  the  heat  of  mid- 
afternoon,  came  Padre  Anzar. 
Thin-lipped  he  was,  and  hollow- 
eyed.  In  one  hand  he  held  a 
trowel,  in  the  other  a  knife.  Down 
the  front  of  his  brown  cassock, 
mingling  at  knee  height  with  red 

[19] 


GOOD-NIGHT 


brick-stains  from  the  chapel  floor, 
were  touches  of  fresh  earth.  Anzar 
the  priest  was  for  the  moment  An- 
zar the  gardener. 

He  walked  slowly,  here  stooping 
to  right  a  stalk  or  jerk  a  weed, 
there  stretching  to  pick  a  fading 
orange  leaf  from  where  it  marred 
the  glaucous  sheen  of  its  fellows. 
Fronting  the  figure,  he  paused  long 
enough  to  whisper  a  prayer  and 
make  the  holy  sign.  Then  he  ram- 
bled on,  busy  with  trowel  and 
blade. 

But  presently  he  came  to  a  full 
and  startled  halt.  He  was  beside 
the  trellis  up  which  climbed  his 
treasured  fuchsia.  The  cross-like 
perch  of  the  parrot  was  beyond  the 
bordering  cacti,  and  unoccupied. 
Near  by,  upon  its  nail,  hung  the 
[40] 


GOOD-NIGHT 


canary  cage,  with  Tony  going  up 
stairs  and  down  untiringly,  eying 
his  visitor  with  no  uneasiness, 
greeting  him,  on  the  contrary, 
with  saucy  chirps.  While  under- 
neath, spotting  the  ground  in 
some  profusion,  and  cast  as  it 
were  at  the  feet  of  the  garden's 
singer,  were  scores  of  scarlet 
blossoms  ! 

The  padre's  look  travelled  from 
the  scattered  flowers  to  the  vacant 
perch,  from  the  perch  to  the  naked 
branches  swaying  against  the  trellis, 
from  the  branches  to  the  wide, 
warm  top  of  the  'dobe  wall.  And 
there  was  Loretta,  patrolling  in  un- 
concealed apprehension. 

The  instant  he  caught  sight  of 
her  he  knew  her  guilt.  He  pursed 
his  thin  lips.  Then,  letting  fall 


GOO  D-N  I  G  H  T 


trowel  and  knife,  he  straddled  the 
hedge. 

"  I  '11  wring  thy  neck  for  thee  I  " 
he  vowed. 

A  sandal  in  the  trellis,  a  light 
spring,  and  his  head  came  even 
with  her.  She  backed  away,  rais- 
ing her  wings  a  little,  and  gawking 
in  protest.  He  took  a  fresh 
grip  on  the  wall,  reached  out  and 
caught  her  like  a  chicken  —  by 
both  legs. 

Wild  screeches  rang  through  the 
garden,  screeches  that  put  the  spar- 
rows to  flight  and  set  the  canary 
cheeping  in  fear.  These  were 
punctuated  next  by  raucous  ap- 
peals for  "  Tony  "  or  gurgley  parrot 
language. 

The  padre  was  down  now,  and 
standing  on  the  path  again.  But 


GOOD-NIGHT 


he  was  not  fulfilling  his  threat. 
Instead,  he  was  viewing  his  captive 
angrily,  yet  in  considerable  inde- 
cision. 

Loretta,  on  the  other  hand,  was 
at  no  loss  for  a  course  of  action. 
Between  cries  for  the  canary,  de- 
mands for  a  handshake,  and  reit- 
erated "  Good-days,"  she  was 
vigorously  trying  her  beak  upon 
the  padre's  fist. 

But  now  a  new  factor  upon  the 
scene.  Round  the  mission  wall, 
waddling  fast  and  propelling  him- 
self by  his  swinging  arms,  appeared 
Padre  Alonzo.  "Is't  the  cats?" 
he  asked  as  he  came  on  ;  "oh,  la  I 
la!  is't  the  cats?" 

Padre  Anzar  half  turned,  scowl- 
ing. For  answer,  he  only  pointed 
to  the  severed  fuchsias. 

[*»] 


GOOD-NIGHT 


The  other  looked,  covering  any 
regret  with  simulated  astonishment. 
'  '  These  were  dropping  of  them- 
selves yesterday,"  he  began  be- 
tween breaths.  "They  —  they 
fell  fast  in  the  night  —  eh?"  He 
came  beside  the  other  now,  partly 
to  support  the  suspended  Loretta 
in  his  hands.  "I  saw  them  — 
truly." 

'  '  Bah  I  "  And  Padre  Anzar  gave 
Loretta  such  a  shake  that  she  tum- 
bled, squawking  and  sputtering, 
from  the  other's  hands,  and  again 
hung,  heels  above  head,  like  a 
chicken  caught  for  the  block. 

'  *  She  did  but  what  the  wind 
hadst  done,"  faltered  Padre  Alonzo. 
•'  Sstl  sst  !  "  (This  to  the  parrot.) 
"  Such  language  from  a  lady  !  " 

'*  Ah-ha  I  "  grunted  Padre  Anzar, 

[34] 


GOOD-NIGHT 


'  '  I  told  thee  not  to  buy  a  bird  that 
vtas  raised  in  a  garrison  town." 

'  '  To-o-ny  !     To-o-ny  !  '  '     pleaded 
the  parrot.      "A-aw,  To-o-ny!" 

"Yes,"  he  went  on  solemnly, 
addressing  her,  '  '  and  thou  art  of 
the  devil,  and  hast  as  many  tricks. 
Twice  I  forgave  thee  —  once  for 
shouting  '  Fire  !  '  on  St.  John's 
Day,  as  the  censer  passed  ;  again, 
for  pulling  the  feathers  out  of 
Sefior  Esteban's  choice  hen.  But 
thou  wilt  not  escape  now.  Now 
thou  'It  go  to  the  kitchen  and  be 
shut  in  with  Gabrielda's  black 
mouser.  There  thou  shalt  shed 
some  quills." 

With  this  dire  threat,  he  departed 
along  the  path,  Loretta  still  hang- 
ing head  down  at  his  knee. 

Scarcely  a  moment  later  a  com- 
[25J 


GOO  D-N  I  G  II  T 


motion  sounded  from  the  distance, 
a  commotion  muffled  by  'dobe  wall. 
First  came  the  voice  of  old  Ga- 
brielda,  then  the  clatter  of  an  over- 
turning pan,  next  the  terror-stricken 
shrieks  of  Loretta.  Presently, 
Padre  Anzar  appeared,  his  jaw  set, 
his  eyes  shining  with  the  look  of 
duty  done. 

"  She  will  be  nicely  scared  this 
time,"  he  told  Padre  Alonzo. 
'  '  She  will  match  her  busy  peak 
with  Tomasso's  claws,  and  she  will 
remember  hereafter  to  let  my  blos- 
soms alone." 

"  Perhaps,"  began  Padre  Alonzo, 
deprecatingly,  '  '  perhaps  't  were  as 
well  to  take  her  out  of  temptation's 
way,  to  —  " 

Padre  Anzar  raised  his  shoulders, 
strode  over  to  knife  and  trowel  and 
[26] 


GOOD-NIGHT 


caught  them  up.  "Move  her  as 
thou  wilt,"  he  said  grumpily,  '  '  and 
the  farther  the  better.  Tony  is 
proper  for  us,  pretty  and  songful. 
But  that  parrot,"  —  he  shook  his 
tools  as  if  they  were  Loretta  — 
'  '  how  altogether  useless  and  ugly 
and  noisy  and  blasphemous  and 
good-for-naught  !  " 

With  this  he  departed  into  the 
shrubbery. 

Sounds  were  still  coming  from 
the  kitchen  —  Gabrielda's  cracked 
voice,  Loretta'  s  cries,  the  sullen 
yowling  of  a  cat.  Nodding  sadly, 
Padre  Alonzo  waddled  to  the 
perch,  vacant  and  formed  like  a 
cross.  This  he  lifted  and  bore  to 
a  place  along  the  wall  opposite 
the  great  crucifix,  where  climbed 
no  flowers.  Then,  smiling  gently, 


GOOD-NIGHT 


as  if  with  some  tender  thought, 
he  waddled  back  to  the  trellis, 
took  the  cage  from  its  nail,  and, 
returning  to  the  perch,  hung  Tony 
close  beside. 


Ill 


Ill 

LATE  that  night,  on  coming  out 
of  the  chapel,  Padre  Alonzo  discov- 
ered a  little  black  something  block- 
ing his  way  along  the  moonlit  path. 
As  he  paused,  leaning  forward  to 
peer,  the  black  something  sidled 
nearer  him,  and  saluted. 

"Buenos  noches!"  it  said,  its 
voice  monotonous  and  human  with 
grief  and  weariness;  "buenas 
noches !  buenas  noches ! " 

The  padre  bent  lower  and  lifted 
the  parrot  to  the  level  of  his  face. 
* '  Aye,  good-night  truly,  as  thou 
sayest,"  he  repeated  proudly. 
* '  Thou  hast  some  wicked  words  of 
a  garrison  town,  but  thou  knowest 


GOOD-NIGHT 


the  difference  between  sun  and 
moon." 

"  Aw,  Lora,"  murmured  the  par- 
rot ;  "  aw,  Lo-ra  I  Lo-ra  !  " 

"Yes,  Tomasso  has  used  thee 
badly."  Padre  Alonzo  patted  her 
head.  "  I  shall  put  thee  on  thy 
perch,"  he  went  on;  "though  I 
trust  good  Anzar  will  not  know  it. 
But  the  moon  is  up,  and  my  heart 
is  tender.  Alas  I  one  does  many 
things  when  the  moon  is  up.  And 
the  next  day  —  one  does  penance." 

He  thrust  the  parrot  into  a  fold 
of  his  cassock,  made  along  to  where 
was  the  perch,  and  placed  her  upon 
it.  Then  he  stood  back,  folding 
his  arms. 

"  To-morrow  is  Christmas  Day, 
Loretta,"  he  said.  "And  what 
wilt  thou  give  to  Tony  ?  What  can 


GOOD-NIGHT 


the  cactus  give  the  golden  poppy? 
Thou  hast  only  love,  eh  ?  Well, 
that  is  much,  though  it  grows  from 
naught,  as  a  China  lily  blooms  from 
a  bowl  of  rocks." 

He  turned,  and  found  himself 
before  the  Tree.  Fir  and  pine 
massed  their  branches  behind  it, 
making  a  background  of  plushy 
green.  Against  that  background, 
showing  full,  hung  the  torn  and 
unclad  shape.  The  moon  glinted 
upon  it,  haloing  the  head  of  the 
Crucified. 

The  padre  sank,  bowing,  and 
touched  himself  in  the  sign. 

"  Aw,  To-o-ny  !  To-o-ny  !  "  came 
a  sleepy  croak  at  his  back.  The 
parrot  was  settling  herself  for  the 
night. 

Padre  Alonzo  rose  and  turned, 
3  [33] 


GOOD-NIGHT 


reaching  up  to  stroke  her.  '  '  Good- 
night, Loretta,"  he  said  fondly. 
'  '  There  were  none  too  lowly  for 
His  gift  of  love.  It  was  spared  to 
thee,  a  yawping  fowl,  a  talker  after 
the  manner  of  the  lazy  Mexicans 
that  bred  thee." 

He  turned  back  upon  the  path, 
sighing  and  raising  his  eyes  once 
more.  "  But  for  high  or  low,"  he 
said,  musing  aloud,  "the  fruit  of 
that  love  is  sacrifice." 


[34] 


IV 


IV 

OUT  of  the  chapel  came  the 
sounds  of  the  noon  service  —  the 
level  intoning  of  prayer,  the  rumble 
and  swell  of  the  padres'  voices. 
From  her  place  before  the  great 
crucifix  Loretta  mocked  it,  only 
ceasing  now  and  then  to  answer 
Tony's  warbles  with  little  whistles 
of  delight,  or  to  run  her  open  bill 
up  and  down  the  bit  of  vertical  pole 
dividing  her  perch.  Yesterday's 
bout  in  the  kitchen,  yesterday's 
hunger  and  fear,  the  lonely  night 
ramble  along  the  path,  the  lack  of 
her  preening  friend  —  all  these 
were  forgotten  in  to-day's  safety, 
sunlight,  plenty,  and  companion- 
[3?] 


ship.  And  so  she  gurred  and 
purred,  a-a-awed  and  ga-a-wked, 
shrilled  her  "  Buenos  dias  /"  across 
the  garden,  laughed  uproariously, 
or  droned  the  familiar  mass. 

In  reach  of  her  pacing,  in  touch 
of  her  very  tail,  was  the  gilded  cage, 
with  Tony  darting  up  stairs  and 
down,  yet  sparing  time  now  and 
then  for  a  sip  or  a  seed  or  a  saucy 
chirp. 

But  of  a  sudden  the  happy  cries 
of  both  birds  were  changed  to  notes 
of  alarm.  The  canary,  its  round 
eyes  starting  like  two  polished 
shots,  fluttered  high  and  low,  beat- 
ing its  yellow  wings  against  the 
wires ;  while  Loretta  squared  her 
rudder,  spread  her  pinions  and 
squatted  belligerently.  For  on  the 
ground,  advancing  that  way  by  soft 
[38] 


GOO  D-N  I  G  H  T 


steps,  and  with  the  gloating  look 
of  the  hunter  fixed  upon  the  cage, 
came  Tomasso,  the  cat. 

Quickly  the  parrot  rallied  from 
her  panic.     As  if  she  knew  that  her 
arch-enemy  was    not    seeking    her 
now,  but  the  precious  bit  of  fluff 
at    her    side,    she    began   a   series 
of    terror-inspiring     performances 
learned   in    the    profane    garrison 
town    of   her  hatching  ;    she   gave 
tongue  to  dire  words  that  had  long 
since   gone   out  of  her  repertory. 
Ruffled     to    twice    her    size,    she 
strutted  along  her  perch,  shrieking 
angry  orders  to  mount,  flinging  out 
"  Vuelta  I  vuelta  !  vuelta  !  "  in  husky 
trooper   tones,    and   whistling   the 
bugle  calls. 

It    failed   to    scare    Tomasso. 
Within   the    cage,    as   it   gently 


GOO  D-N  I  G  II  T 


danced  from  its  spring,  was  a 
tempting  morsel,  one  that  lured  all 
the  more  through  its  effort  to 
escape.  The  cat  crept  steadily  for- 
ward, velvet  foot  following  velvet 
foot,  across  the  shifting  dapple 
before  the  great  crucifix,  across  the 
packed  gravel  of  the  garden  path,  to 
the  near  shade  of  a  gold  of  Ophir. 
There,  under  the  roses,  he  paused, 
amber  eyes  glowing,  whetted  claws 
slipping  in  and  out  expectantly, 
muscles  rolling  and  flexing  with 
the  measurement  of  the  leap. 

Then,  with  the  cunning  of  the 
wild  mother,  Loretta  adopted  new 
tactics,  seeking  to  divert  him.  She 
wobbled  upon  her  perch,  giving 
vent  to  bursts  of  hysterical  laugh- 
ter ;  she  got  between  him  and  the 
cage  and  railed  at  him. 

[4o] 


GOOD-NIGHT 


His  unblinking  eyes  did  not  leave 
his  quarry,  his  muscles  kept  their 
quiver  of  preparation.  At  the  end 
of  his  sleek  body,  touching  the 
path,  his  long  tail  swept,  to  and 
fro,  to  and  fro,  to  and  fro,  like  a 
furry  pendulum  marking  off  the 
dread  time. 

By  now  other  inmates  of  the 
garden  were  alarmed.  A  blue  jay 
scolded  from  the  terra-cotta  roof  of 
the  chapeL  From  the  cross-piece  of 
the  tree  a  line  of  sparrows  gave  over 
their  squabbling  to  look  down. 

Loretta's  excitement  grew  wilder. 
Out  of  her  beak  poured  phrases  not 
of  mass  or  military,  not  of  good- 
days  or  —  nights.  For  under  the 
gold  of  Ophir  the  furry  pendulum 
was  standing  out  straight  and  the 
moving  muscles  down  Tomasso's 
[4.] 


GOOD-NIGHT 


length  were  tight  and  still.  Her 
instinct  knew  the  signs,  and  again 
and  again  she  quavered  out  the 
"Fuego!"  that  had  disgraced  St. 
John's  Day. 

No  one  heard.  From  the  chapel 
still  sounded  the  intoning  of  prayer, 
broken  by  the  rumble  and  swell  of 
the  padres'  voices. 

A  moment,  and  she  acted.  With 
a  "Ga-a-iy/c/"  of  defiance,  she 
aimed  her  flight  for  the  ground, 
took  it  in  all  but  a  somersault,  and 
landed  herself  directly  before  the 
astonished  Tomasso.  Then  once 
again  she  spread  her  wings  and 
squared  her  rudder,  making  ready 
for  a  clash. 

Tomasso'  s  eyes  fell  to  her,  he 
relaxed,  body  and  tail,  spitting  re- 
sentfully. 


GOO  D-N  I  G  H  T 


Quickly  emboldened,  she  came  a 
hand's  breadth  nearer  him,  snap- 
ping at  the  black  tip  of  his  nose. 

He  retreated  to  his  haunches,  but 
directed  a  swift  cuff  her  way. 

To  this  she  responded  with  hoarse 
laughter  and  yells  of  "  To-o-ny  I  " 
as  if  she  summoned  the  canary  to 
witness  the  encouraging  progress 
of  the  fight.  Then  she  stalked  for- 
ward once  more. 

Tomasso  wrinkled  his  face. 
Their  positions  were  unpleasantly 
reversed.  In  Gabrielda's  domain 
it  was  she  who  backed  off  or  sought 
the  safe  places,  and  he  who  sallied 
out  from  his  cozy  nook  by  the 
range  to  scare  her  into  noisy  pro- 
tests. While  here  she  was  bristling 
to  him.  His  paw  poised  itself  in 
mid-air. 


GOOD-NIGHT 


Loretta  grew  reckless.  Fanning 
her  wings,  in  one  lightning  stroke 
she  bit  him  between  his  flattened 
ears. 

The  pain  of  it  enraged  Tomasso. 
With  a  jump,  he  met  her. 

Then  ensued  such  a  scene  as  the 
kitchen  knew.  There  was  mewing 
and  spitting  and  yowling  ;  there 
was  gawking  and  squalling  and  a 
rending  cry  for  '  '  Tony  !  '  '  All  the 
while,  close  to  the  gold  of  Ophir, 
the  cat  and  the  parrot  went  dizzily 
around  and  around,  a  whirligig  of 
gray,  scarlet,  and  black  —  that  tossed 
off  fur  and  feathers. 

It  was  over  in  a  moment,  when 
Tomasso  fled,  over  path  and  grass, 
and  into  a  dusky  recess  between 
the  trunks  of  fir  and  pine.  There 
he  lay  down,  sulking  and  grum-v 

[44] 


GOOD-NIGHT 


bling  and  licking  his  paws.  But 
Loretta  stayed  where  she  was  a 
little,  holding  her  head  side  wise  in 
the  attitude  of  a  listener. 

"Lora,"  she  murmured  pres- 
ently, her  voice  inquiring,  "  Lora, 
Lora." 

Then,  slowly  and  clumsily,  she 
made  her  way  to  the  base  of  the 
perch,  and  with  beak  and  talons 
climbed  it. 


[45] 


IT  was  past  the  noon  angelus 
when  Padre  Alonzo  came  waddling 
along  the  path,  and  he  found  the 
garden  still  —  still,  and  filled  with 
the  sun-drawn  incense  of  trees  and 
flowers. 

' '  Sst !  sst !  Tony  will  be  too 
warm,  I  fear,"  he  was  saying  aloud 
as  he  neared  the  cage.  ' '  The  little 
one  shall  go  to  a  cooler  spot." 
And  with  this  conclusion,  he  halted 
beside  the  perch  of  the  parrot  and 
lifted  the  chirping  canary  down  to 
his  knee. 

"Buenos  dias,"  he  said  to  Lo- 
retta,  pausing  a  moment ;  "a  good 
day,  truly,  but  over-hot,  so  that  my 
4  [49] 


GOOD-NIGHT 


cassock  makes  of  me  a  living  olla, 
for  I  am  beaded  with  water  drops 
from  top  to  toe." 

The  parrot  shifted  a  little,  and 
again  set  her  head  sidewise,  as  if 
she  were  puzzled  and  listening. 
Next,  she  edged  toward  him,  and 
uncertainly,  putting  a  foot  down, 
clasping  and  unclasping  the  pole, 
trying  it  cautiously.  Against  the 
vertical  piece  that  made  her  perch 
like  a  cross,  she  teetered  awkwardly 
and  stopped. 

"  Loretta,"  said  the  padre,  in 
some  concern,  "hast  anything  in 
thy  craw?  Well,  gulp  down  a 
stone  and  grind  thy  grist.  What 
one  swallowest  that  must  one 
digest." 

The  gravel  crunched  behind  him  .v 
He    glanced    back,    to    see    Padre 
[5o] 


GOOD-NIGHT 


Anzar  advancing,  brown  cowl 
shading  hollow  eyes. 

Padre  Alonzo  colored  guiltily. 
"  Tony  must  go  to  the  shade,"  he 
said.  "The  sun  is  hot  to  the 
cooking-point  .  '  ' 

Padre  Anzar  paused  a  moment, 
glowering  up  at  Loretta.  "Then 
may  it  singe  the  plumage  of  that 
vixen,"  he  answered.  "  She  dese- 
crates our  garden  .  '  '  Another  frown  , 
and  he  passed  on. 

Padre  Alonzo  watched  him  out 
of  sight  before  he  again  addressed 
the  parrot.  "  I  fear  thou  must 
mend  thy  ways,  Loretta,"  he  said. 
"Here  it  is  Christmas  Day,  and 
yet  Anzar  has  no  good  words  for 
thee.  But  see,"  —  he  held  up  a 
plump  hand,  displaying  one  of  Ga- 
brielda's  sweet  biscuits  —  "riotous 


GOO  D-IS  I  G  H  T 


as  thou  art,  I  have  remembered. 
And  now  tell  me,  what  hast  thou 
given  Tony?" 

As  though  in  mute  answer,  the 
parrot  suddenly  lowered  her  head 
toward  him,  and  he  saw  that  over 
the  gray  of  her  feathered  face  was 
a  splash  of  scarlet,  as  if  a  vivid 
fuchsia  petal  had  fallen  there. 

"  Loretta  !  "  he  cried  anxiously  ; 
"  Loretta  !  thine  eyes  !  " 

She  lifted  her  head  until  her 
beak  pointed  past  the  giant  cruci- 
fix and  straight  into  the  glaring 
sun. 

"Buenos  dfas,"  he  prompted 
tenderly,  alarmed  now  at  her  un- 
usual silence  and  the  indifference 
shown  his  offering;  "Loretta, 
buenos  dias." 

But  she  was  settling  herself  upon 
[52] 


GOOD-NIGHT 


her  cross-like  perch  as  if  for  the 
night.  "A  -aw,  To-o-ny!  To-o-ny!" 
she  returned  with  a  little  sleepy 
croak  ;  '  '  buenas  noches  I  buenas 
noches  I  " 


The  University  Press,  Cambridge,  U.  S.  A. 


/ 


A     000  676  272     8 


Univers 

Soutt 

Libr 


